How can scientists predict earthquakes? Earthquakes are not scattered anywhere but happen in certain areas. They happen in places where pieces of the earth’s surface meet. For example, earthquakes often occur on the west-coast of North and South America, around the Mediterranean Sea, and along the Pacific coast of Asia. Another way to predict earthquakes is to look for changes in the earth’s surface, like a sudden drop of water level in the ground. Some people say animals can predict earthquakes. Before earthquakes people have seen chickens sitting in trees, fish jumping out of the water, snake leaving their holes and other animals acting strangely. After an earthquake happens, people can die from lack of food, water and medical supplies. The amount of destruction caused by an earthquake depend on types of building, soil conditions and population. Of the 6000 earthquakes on the earth each year, only about fifteen cause great damage and many deaths. 1. Earthquakes happen in certain areas where ______________. A. the population is large B. pieces of the earth’s surface meet C. the soil conditions are stable D. many buildings are built 2. Earthquakes often happen along __________________. A. the east-coast of North America B. the east-coast of South America C. the Pacific coast of Asia D. the coast of Australia 3. Looking for _______________ can help predict earthquakes. A. changes in the earth’s surface B. water beneath the earth’s surface C. drops of water D. water currents 4. After an earthquake, as a result of ____________ people may die. A. lack of food B. lack of friendship C. lack of information D. lack of knowledge 5. The passage mainly discusses ______________. A. the damage caused by earthquakes B. how strong earthquakes are C. strange animal behaviors D. how to predict earthquakes II-Fill in each blank with ONE suitable word. El Nino and La Nina The tropical Pacific Ocean (1)______________ a warming and cooling cycle. This cycle is a completely natural event and usually (2)___________ between three to seven years. When the waters become (3)______________, it is called El Nino, and when they become cooler it is called La Nina. During the cycle, the (4)___________ of the ocean can change by around 3oC between the warmest and coolest times. (5)_____________ off the South American coast have known about this (6)____________ event for hundreds of years. When it (7)____________, they see a huge fall in the numbers of fish caught. But scientists are only just beginning to (8)____________ how the event affects Earth’s weather and climate.